by
Atlas Fine Wines | Oct 17, 2014
Following a thoroughly impressive tasting in the office, we were very pleased to have secured the UK exclusivity for Toby Bekker’s 2012 Syrah. The wine exhibits none of the headinesss so frequently found in the region but rather great finesse and precision. It is elegant, bright and focused, and offers dark fruits and exotic spice in the glass. Atlas firmly believes that Toby is currently making some of the most exciting and impressive wines in the McLaren Vale and it seems that many critics share a similar sentiment; the wine has found great favour with Lisa Perrotti-Brown (95+ points), James Halliday (97 Points) and Matthew Jukes. Matthew's note, published just last week, is below.
“Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers sent me their first ever release of this wine (the stunning 2011 vintage) back in December 2012 and there is a write up on my website. Sadly, this wine wasn’t retailed in the UK, otherwise you would have read about it on this page. Fifteen cases of the 2012 vintage are arriving at Atlas Fine Wines in a few weeks time and so I am thrilled to let you know about this exceptional Syrah. Australia is teeming with winemaking talent and there are so many great wines to savour, but there is an elite band of young people making guaranteed- future-cult-wines who I am keeping a very close eye on. This wine is one of the most arresting creations I have seen this year. I have been sitting on this note since May, so I am trying to choose my 200 words carefully. Suffice to say that this Syrah is impeccably balanced, showing mercurial skill in every gentle wave of flavour lapping along its minutes long palate. This calibre of earth, spice, oak control and fruit quality is rare anywhere in the world, but virtually unheard of in McLaren Vale. It is a near perfect interpretation, by its makers, of its vineyards and I adore it.”